


Sanity Restored

by Emery Hayes (Kitanni)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 05:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18543670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitanni/pseuds/Emery%20Hayes
Summary: One Halloween night at Hogwarts - from Neville's point of view.





	Sanity Restored

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short one-shot AU fic that I wrote many years back - I think it might have been between the releases of Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. It started as an entry to a Halloween contest, but ended up being too long (it was only meant to be 500 words). I liked the concept so much that I decided to finish it and keep it anyway. It's also one of the few pieces of my writing from back then that I still like. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, so please drop me a comment <3

October was finally drawing itself to a close in the traditional Halloween way at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Many of the students were outside enjoying the late afternoon sun, relaxing by the lake or lounging under trees around the grounds.  One student, however, was headed down to the dungeons, his heart sinking with every step he took, the usual sense of foreboding he felt when he was there rising uncontrollably.  He reached his destination and took a deep breath before raising one arm to knock on Professor Snape's door.

"Enter," said a cold voice from behind the door.  Slightly shaking, the boy opened the door just enough to squeeze himself inside.  Professor Snape sat at his desk, writing feverishly on a piece of parchment, not looking up at his visitor.  "Shut the door, Longbottom, and set up your cauldron on the desk over there," he said, pointing at a desk in the far corner with the end of his quill.  Neville rushed to do as he was bid, accidentally slamming the door and tripping over his own feet as he made his way to the desk.

 _I wish Grandmother hadn't insisted to Dumbledore that I take potions...  Normal classes were bad enough, but these remedial classes are torture!  At least I'm getting a little better, I guess..._  he thought as he set up his cauldron.

"Now," said Professor Snape, causing Neville to jump slightly, "You are going to make yesterday's potion again, only this time, you are going to do it properly, do you understand me?  You already have the recipes, the ingredients are in front of you, and you have one hour.  Begin."

An hour and a half later, Neville dragged himself to the Great Hall to join the rest of the school at the annual Halloween feast.   _That didn't go too badly, considering I knocked over my cauldron twice...  at least I can make the potion now..._   There weren't many students left when he began to help himself to a slice of pumpkin pie, but he was in no particular rush to be bombarded with Hermione's prying into the progress of his lesson, or the resultant fights between her and Ron when Ron tried to tell Hermione to leave him alone.

Neville was lost in thought as he sipped his pumpkin juice, the Gryffindor table now deserted.  His mind was dwelling on his parents once again.  Earlier that year, his Grandmother had shown him their photo album from when they'd been at school.  It was currently lying under his pillow in his dorm, open to the last picture taken of the whole family.  It was taken just before the downfall of Voldemort.  Just before his parents were tortured to the point of insanity.   _At least I get to see them at christmas,_  he thought.   _I wonder if Professor Lockhart will have been released by then?_

He'd finished his dinner and had just climbed through the portrait hole to find the Gryffindor Common room eerily empty, all thoughts of St Mungos now gone from his mind.  Cautiously, Neville made his way to the staircase which lead to the dorms.  Apart from the complete lack of people, there was nothing out of place with the common room, so he thought that the dorms may give him some clue as to what was going on.  

Upon reaching the door to his dorm, Neville paused before pushing the door open.  He felt his jaw drop as he took in the scene in front of him.  There was not one thing left untouched.  He rushed over to his bedside and picked up the album laying next to it in tatters.  Not much remained of the photos that had been in it not three hours ago.  Neville could feel his temper rising as he stared at the ruined book.  His mind was blank from all thoughts, except one.  _I'll get them for this.  I'll get who ever did this if it's the last thing I do._   Looking around the trashed room, he spotted a familiar miniature statuette lying near the door.  Neville thought back and remembered seeing it in the Hogs Head during the last Hogsmeade trip.  He scooped it up and was about to take it to Professor Dumbldore when, in the corner of his eye, he saw Harry's invisibility cloak.

Neville hesitated a second, wondering what to do.  Glancing back at his parents' photo album, he made his decision and marched over to the cloak, throwing it over himself as he drew his wand.   _I'll get them_ , he thought again.   _I'll make them pay for what they've done._

It was nearly midnight when Neville opened the door of the Hogs Head in the little village of Hogsmeade.  The bar was suspiciously quiet, as he stepped through the doorway, removing the invisibility cloak as he went.  It took only a moment before he realised why there was no-one in here.  The old, long-haired barman was slouched across the bar - clearly dead.  His soulless, glassy eyes stared ahead at the wall.  Neville turned around and retched before remembering why he'd come.  Recovering from the shock, he made his way towards the stairs which no doubt lead to the rooms which could be booked by guests.

A similar sense of foreboding to that which he felt every time he went to potions began to rise in the pit of Neville's stomach as he climbed the old and creaking staircase.  The first three rooms were, thankfully, empty.  The fourth and fifth were locked, and he approached the sixth and final door with overwhelming trepidation.  The door swung open easily and without squeaking, as though the hinges were just oiled.  Neville's knees buckled at the sight in front of him.

Countless bodies were strewn across the room - all of them wearing Gryffindor house robes.  Closest to Neville were the bodies of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, locked in an embrace, fear written across all of their flawless features.  Tears streamed down his face as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"Ah, Master Longbottom," said a high-pitched, cold voice.  Neville turned to find himself facing the tall, thin figure of a man in dark robes.  "I see you have found your friends.  It may please you to know that they did put up a fight before we managed to kill them all," the figure said, indicating to several other dark figures behind him.  The figure laughed cruelly and drew his wand.  "And now you must join them.  Too long have you and yours stood in my way.  No longer.  It ends here.  You can not defeat me, for I am Lord Voldemort."

"No..." was all that Neville could manage to say.

"Yes.  Say goodbye, Longbottom.  Avada..."

"Mother..."

"...Kedavra!"  Green light rushed through Neville's body as his life force left him, leaving his body to fall to the ground - a useless shell.

Several miles away, in a London hospital, a thin, worn-looking woman sat bolt upright in her bed, awakened from her sleep by the distant cry of a child calling for his mother.  The pain of grief hit her as she spoke the name of her now dead son.  "Neville..."


End file.
